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The last deglacial was marked by tremendous changes in ocean temperature and circulation as well as atmospheric CO 2 and 14 C. We employed the “ 14 C plateau-tuning technique” to a centennial-scale planktic 14 C record of core MD08-3180 retrieved S.W. of the Azores Islands at ∼3060 m water depth to establish both a new standard of absolute age control and a record of past 14 C reservoir ages of ocean surface waters. Both δ 18 O minima of G. bulloides and high planktic reservoir ages of ∼1600 to 2170 yr suggest two major melt water incursions that reached from the Labrador Sea up to the subtropics over Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS-1). In parallel, we established a record of (apparent) benthic ventilation ages that add the planktic 14 C reservoir ages together with the benthic-planktic 14 C age difference at the site and time of deposition, a sum finally adjusted to past changes in atmospheric 14 C that occurred since the time of deep-water formation. Near the Azores apparent deep-water ages of the Last Glacial Maximum were as low as 340–740 yr, which suggests a lateral advection of young North Atlantic Deep Waters (NADW) from subpolar regions south of Iceland, in harmony with recent model simulation and in contrast to a widely assumed major shoaling of glacial deep-water formation. During HS-1, local benthic ventilation ages increased up to 2200–2550 yr, thus suggest an incursion of old southern-source deep waters, an unstable regime that was interrupted by brief pulses of NADW incursion near 16, 15.6 cal. ka, and most salient, near 14.9/14.7 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coccolithophore assemblages recovered from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1313 are investigated to reconstruct the palaeoceanographic evolution of a sector of the North Atlantic during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19 (~ 790–760 ka) at orbital, suborbital and millennial time-scales. The end of the glacial MIS 20 is marked by the arrival of cold waters, deriving from ice melting at higher latitudes, as recorded by Coccolithus pelagicus pelagicus . The MIS 19c is characterised by an extension of warmer North Atlantic Transitional Waters (NATW) reflecting the intensification of subtropical gyre influence on Site U1313, identified by an increase in warm species Umbilicosphaera sibogae . The influence on the site of cooler NATW is inferred from higher percentages of Gephyrocapsa margereli , which starts increasing from ~ 779 ka. Finally, the transition from MIS 19a to MIS 18 is characterised by a southward shift of the palaeoceanographic system due to a southward extension of the subpolar front, as indicated by an increase of cold subspecies C. pelagicus pelagicus . The evolution of the palaeoproductivity proxy records (number of coccoliths/g of sediment and Nannofossil Accumulation Rate — NAR) and the abundances of small Gephyrocapsa , G. margereli , U. sibogae and C. pelagicus pelagicus show that fluctuations in sea-surface productivity and alternations between cooling and warming phases occurred on the precessional timescale. Spectral analyses of U. sibogae , number of coccoliths/g of sediment and NAR indicate a significant concentration of variance close to half precession (~ 10 kyr); this reflects a nonlinear response of the mid-latitude North Atlantic surface ocean to low-latitude insolation forcing. Furthermore, millennial to multi-centennial instability in sea-surface dynamics is highlighted by spectral and wavelet analyses of U. sibogae , G. margereli and C. pelagicus pelagicus percentages, number of coccoliths/g of sediment and NAR, which reveal the occurrence of rapid events, related to stadial and interstadial-type conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debate is ongoing about the source(s) and paths of meltwater that drained into the North Atlantic Ocean at the time of the Younger Dryas (YD), especially the eastern route from glacial Lake Agassiz and predecessor lakes of the Laurentian Great Lakes located along the southeastern edge of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Here, evidence is presented for meltwater drainage via the St. Lawrence eastern route from five new sediment cores from Cabot Strait, Laurentian Channel and Scotian Shelf at the time of the YD. Palynological analyses are used to reconstruct sea surface conditions based on dinoflagellate cyst records, and pollen data are used for additional correlation. The reconstructions show distinct drops in salinity and temperature and increased sea ice cover duration within the YD period. In addition to these new records, we present a re-examination of original data and paleoceanographic interpretation of surface waters based on a new analysis of dinoflagellate cyst zonation in combination with an updated chronology supported by new radiocarbon dates and refined calibrations. The results clearly define the YD core intervals which contain strong evidence of lowered salinity, thereby re-establishing the St. Lawrence drainage system as a significant route for inflow of YD meltwater to the North Atlantic. This inflow does not exclude the possibility for another source of freshwater, as suggested by geographical differences in the duration of cold, low salinity conditions west and east of Laurentian Channel associated with the YD climatic event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-lived uranium decay products 230 Th and 231 Pa are widely used as quantitative tracers of adsorption to sinking particles (scavenging) in the ocean by exploiting the principles of radioactive disequilibria. Because of their preservation in the Pleistocene sediment record and through largely untested assumptions about their chemical behavior in the water column, the two radionuclides have also been used as proxies for a variety of chemical fluxes in the past ocean. This includes the vertical flux of particulate matter to the seafloor, the lateral flux of insoluble elements to continental margins (boundary scavenging), and the southward flux of water out of the deep North Atlantic. In a section of unprecedented vertical and zonal resolution, the distributions of 230 Th and 231 Pa across the North Atlantic shed light on the marine cycling of these radionuclides and further inform their use as tracers of chemical flux. Enhanced scavenging intensities are observed in benthic layers of resuspended sediments on the eastern and western margins and in a hydrothermal plume emanating from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Boundary scavenging is clearly expressed in the water column along a transect between Mauritania and Cape Verde which is used to quantify a bias in sediment fluxes calculated using 230 Th-normalization and to demonstrate enhanced 231 Pa removal from the deep North Atlantic by this mechanism. The influence of deep ocean ventilation that leads to the southward export of 231 Pa is apparent. The 231 Pa/ 230 Th ratio, however, predominantly reflects spatial variability in scavenging intensity, complicating its applicability as a proxy for the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PO 4 , δ 13 C and Cd depth distributions measured in the N. Atlantic Ocean during recent GEOTRACES and CLIVAR cruises are a result of biological and circulation processes, with in-situ uptake and remineralization of organic matter dominating in the upper ~300 m and mixing of water masses dominating in the thermocline and deep sea. The observed slopes of the NO 3 –PO 4 , preindustrial δ 13 C–PO 4 and (by analogy) Cd–PO 4 along isopycnals deviate significantly from that expected from Redfield in the thermocline and deep sea and in each case the observed slope is similar to the slopes of the end-member water masses being mixed. The depth increase in the Cd–PO 4 slope resulting from end-member mixing explains the observed kink at ~1 μM PO 4 in the Cd–PO 4 relationship in the N. Atlantic. The observation that the PO 4 - preindustrial δ 13 C–Cd relationship in the modern N. Atlantic is heavily influenced by end-member mixing throughout most of the water column complicates the use of δ 13 C and Cd as proxies of the paleocean’s nutrient distribution because changes in the PO 4 –δ 13 C–Cd composition of locally and remotely produced end-members water masses would change the PO 4 , δ 13 C and Cd depth distributions in the paleo N. Atlantic Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent studies have correlated dinoflagellate resting cyst morphology to salinity and density variations in the water column, suggesting that morphology can be used for paleoceanographic reconstructions. However, the univariate statistics used by these studies are appropriate only where morphology is related to a single variable. Density is a function of salinity and temperature, so more advanced statistical methods are needed to understand which parameters affect morphology. In this study based on surface (coretop) sediments, a set of environmental variables (sea-surface salinity, temperature, nitrate, and phosphate) was simultaneously correlated to morphological variations seen in resting cysts produced by the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum (= Operculodinium centrocarpum sensu Wall and Dale). Approximately 3200 measurements were obtained from the North Atlantic Ocean and used to generate a working model based on the Akaike information criterion. Hierarchical partitioning was then applied to establish the independent and joint effects for each predictor variable. Results from these analyses showed that while salinity constitutes the dominant variable affecting process length in the cysts of P. reticulatum in the North Atlantic, it is not the sole explanatory variable and that multicollinearity exists. Temperature and nutrients also showed a significant relationship to the morphology, requiring multiple regression to construct a representative model. The applicability of the North Atlantic working model was finally evaluated by comparing the results to data from the Mediterranean, Marmara, and Black seas, and Baltic–Kattegat–Skagerrak estuarine system. This comparison showed regional differences in morphological–environmental correlation. While salinity constitutes the most important explanatory factor in both the North Atlantic and Baltic–Skagerrak system, this is not so for the Mediterranean–Black Sea region where temperature is the dominant variable. It is concluded that a predictive salinity model based on P. reticulatum cyst morphology has at best a regional application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Past changes in the surface flow regime of two main eastern North Atlantic warm water pathways toward the Nordic seas were reconstructed based on faunal analyses in combination with carbon and oxygen stable isotope measurements in planktic foraminifera. The investigated sites, in the surroundings of the Faroe Islands, are located in the transitional area where surface waters of subpolar and subtropical origin mix before entering the Arctic Mediterranean. In these areas, large-amplitude millennial variability in the characteristics of the upper-water column appears modulated by changes in the intensity of the Subpolar Gyre circulation. From 7.8 to 6 ka BP, faunal records indicate a deep mixed-layer which, in conjunction with lighter δ18O values, suggest that the inflowing Atlantic waters were dominated by a relatively cooler and fresher water mass, reflecting a strengthening of the Subpolar Gyre under conditions of enhanced positive NAO-like forcing and reduced meltwater input. A shift in the hydrographic conditions occurred during the Mid-Holocene (centered at 5 ka BP). At this time, increasing upper water column stratification and the incipient differentiation of the stable isotopic signal of the Iceland–Faroe and Faroe–Shetland surface water masses, suggest increasing influx of warmer, more saline surface waters from the Subtropical Gyre, as Subpolar Gyre circulation weakened. The mid-Holocene decline in Subpolar Gyre strength is presumably related to a shift toward a low state of the NAO-like forcing associated with decreased solar irradiance. Later in the Holocene, from 4 ka BP to present, the increased frequency and reduced amplitude of the surface hydrographic changes reflect corresponding fluctuations in Subpolar Gyre circulation. These high frequency oscillations in Subpolar Gyre strength suggest increased surface circulation sensitivity to moderate freshwater fluxes to the Labrador–Irminger Sea basin, highlighting the importance of the salinity balance in modulating Subpolar Gyre dynamics, particularly under conditions of low NAO atmospheric forcing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The marine-based Atlantic periphery of the last NW European Ice Sheet experienced significant advances and retreats of its marine sector during its existence. It therefore had considerable potential to intermittently inject freshwater or ice pulses to the North Atlantic. These European inputs had poorly known consequences for ocean circulation and climate. Here we examine the history of the western margin of the European Ice Sheet, from 34 to 15calka BP, and use a combination of modelling and proxy evidence to explore the impact on the North Atlantic of the fresh water and iceberg injections that accompanied phases of retreat of the marine sector of the NW European Ice Sheet. We find that the lack of geographical synchronicity in the responses of the different components of the 3000km long sector meant that the scale of the climate consequences of ice discharge most likely remained regional, except during the final deglaciation phase, around 17–15calka BP. At this time, as the later component of the recently introduced concept of an extended Heinrich event H1, both proxy and modelling evidence suggest rapid sector collapse led to partial shut-down of the Atlantic overturning and a basin-wide cooling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We reconstruct millennial-scale variations in sea surface hydrography and deep water flow in the northwestern subtropical Atlantic (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 172 Sites 1056 and 1063) with a focus on Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9. Together with published records from this region, the new data also afford a longer-term perspective on millennial-scale changes in meridional overturning circulation spanning two full interglacial intervals (MIS 9 and 11) as well as two full glacial intervals (MIS 10 and 12). Planktic foraminiferal δ18O values indicate relatively stable conditions during the peak warmth of MIS 9, but three large cold excursions disrupt the otherwise smooth transition toward glacial MIS 8. There is no unique response in the Site 1063 benthic foraminiferal δ13C values that would suggest a concomitant decrease in the relative flux of NADW during these events. Similarly, there is no persistent correlation between millennial-scale variations in surface and deep water hydrography over the entire MIS 8–13 interval. While millennial-scale variations at the sea surface are most pronounced during glacial intervals (and the transitions toward glacial intervals), millennial-scale variations in the deep water hydrography tend to be largest during the warm periods. This observation supports that rapid changes in thermohaline circulation are sensitive to driving forces other than those directly related to ice sheet size. Time series analysis shows that spectral power in the benthic foraminiferal δ13C record contains periodicities related to the second (∼10 kyr) and fourth harmonics (∼5 kyr) of precession in this record (∼20 kyr) pointing to the importance of tropical processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: New quantitative data on calcareous nannofossil assemblages through 583–1138 thousand years ago (kyr) have been acquired in high sample resolution (2–3ky) at northern Atlantic ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) Site 980/981. Assemblage composition reflects a temperate paleobioprovince suggesting significant influx of warm North Atlantic Current at the site location during the mid-Pleistocene transition, between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 35 and 15. Three intervals have been described based on changes in nannofossil composition and abundance fluctuations of taxa. Reticulofenestrids are abundant just in the first interval (MIS 35–22), which is also characterised by the absence of Gephyrocapsa (>4μm) and C. pelagicus s.l., the latter occurring in upper MIS 24 only. The second interval corresponds to the expanded warm MIS 21 that is accompanied by high carbonate content, absence of both nannofossil reworking and ice rafted debris (IRD), higher abundance of C. leptoporus (5–8μm) and H. carteri, and absence of C. pelagicus s.l. and medium gephyrocapsids. The third interval (MIS 20–15) records the occurrence of C. pelagicus s.l. and medium Gephyrocapsa, generally higher abundance and higher amplitude fluctuations of helicoliths, and absence of reticulofenestrids. The major changes in nannofossil assemblages seem to be the result of combined paleoenvironmental factors related to sea surface water features (temperature and nutrient availability, sea-ice cover) and possibly to deep and intermediate water production of both Northern and Southern Hemisphere origin during glacial and interglacial phases. Complex inter-relationships between environmental parameters and evolutionary/ecological factors are inferred to explain the patterns of Coccolithus pelagicus subspecies, whose distribution and abundance fluctuations are compared with the available patterns of Turborotalia quinqueloba and Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (left coiled) at Site 980 and with the C. pelagicus subspecies patterns from North Atlantic DSDP (Deep Sea Drilling Project) Site 607 and South Atlantic ODP Site 1090. Data collected provide additional information on stratigraphic distribution of selected taxa; the First Occurrence (FO) of Gephyrocapsa omega is confirmed as a diachronous event, even in the Atlantic Ocean, while the First and Last Common Occurrence (FCO, LCO) of R. asanoi appear as diachronous and synchronous events, respectively, on a global scale. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The early late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–early Turonian) is thought to have been one of the warmest periods of the Phanerozoic. This period was characterised by tropical sea surface temperatures of up to 36°C and a pole-to-equator-gradient of less than 10°C. The subsequent Turonian–Maastrichtian was characterised by a continuous climatic cooling, peaking in the Maastrichtian. This climatic cooling and the resulting palaeoceanographic changes had an impact on planktic primary producer communities including calcareous nannofossils. In order to gain a better understanding of these Cenomanian–Maastrichtian palaeoceanographic changes, calcareous nannofossils have been studied from the proto North Atlantic (Goban Spur, DSDP Sites 549, 551). In order to see potential differences between open oceanic and shelf dwelling nannofossils, the data from Goban Spur have been compared to findings from the European shelf (northern Germany). A total of 77 samples from Goban Spur were studied for calcareous nannofossils revealing abundant (mean 6.2billion specimens/g sediment) and highly diverse (mean 63 species/sample) nannofossil assemblages. The dominant taxa are Watznaueria spp. (mean 30.7%), Prediscosphaera spp. (mean 18.3%), Zeugrhabdotus spp. (mean 8.3%), Retecapsa spp. (mean 7.2%) and Biscutum spp. (mean 6.6%). The Cenomanian assemblages of both Goban Spur (open ocean) and Wunstorf (shelf) are characterised by elevated abundances of high fertility taxa like Biscutum spp., Zeugrhabdotus spp. and Tranolithus orionatus. Early Turonian to Maastrichtian calcareous nannofossil assemblages of Goban Spur are, however, quite different to those described from European sections. Oceanic taxa like Watznaueria spp., Retecapsa spp. and Cribrosphearella ehrenbergii dominate in Goban Spur whereas the fertility indicators Biscutum spp. and T. orionatus are more abundant in the European shelf assemblages. This shift from a homogeneous distribution of calcareous nannofossils in the Cenomanian towards a heterogeneous one in the Turonian–Maastrichtian implies a change of the ocean circulation. The “eddy ocean” system of the Cenomanian was replaced by an oceanic circulation similar to the modern one in the Turonian–Maastrichtian, caused by the cooling. The increased pole-to-equator-gradients resulted in an oceanic circulation similar to the modern one. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We used multiple paleoceanographic proxies to examine sediments from the Blake Outer Ridge (ODP Site 1058, 2996m water depth) that span the MIS 13–10 time interval. Benthic foraminiferal δ 13C, organic δ 13C, and total δ 15N values are lower in MIS 12 and 10 than in MS 11, and indicate glacial–interglacial changes in both thermohaline circulation and ocean-wide biogeochemical processes that affect deep and surface waters. Three time intervals of higher productivity, as evidenced by higher organic carbon accumulation rates (1.6–4.5gm−2 yr−1), occur at the end of MIS 13 and during the early and late parts of MIS 11, in association with the transition from obliquity minima to obliquity maxima. Benthic faunas in these intervals show a distinct increase in opportunistic species that feed on phytodetritus (Epistominella exigua) or are adapted to elevated but intermittent organic carbon fluxes (Bulimina aculeata and Bulimina marginata) and that imply episodes of recurrent phytoplankton blooms at the surface and consequent export of labile organic matter to the seafloor. Late interglacial MIS 11.3 is a time of low organic carbon fluxes (<0.5gm−2 yr−1) and is characterized by higher abundances of epifaunal benthic foraminiferal taxa (Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi, Gyroidina spp., Gyroidinoides spp. and Nuttallides umbonifera) that are typical of modern oligotrophic environments. In contrast, during glacial MIS 12 and 10 higher organic carbon fluxes (>0.5gm−2 yr−1) and benthic assemblages dominated by infaunal taxa (Uvigerina spp. and Bulimina alazanensis) indicate sustained organic carbon delivery and diminished pore water oxygenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: North Atlantic sediment drifts are valuable archives for paleoceanographic reconstructions spanning various timescales. However, the short-term dynamics of such systems are poorly known, and this impinges on our ability to quantitatively reconstruct past change. Here we describe a high-resolution 319-day time-series of hydrodynamics and near-bottom (4m) particulate matter flux variability at a 2600m deep site with an extremely high sediment accumulation rate on the southern Gardar Drift in the North Atlantic. We compare our findings with the actual deposits at the site. The total annual particle flux amounted to ∼360gm−2 yr−1, varied from ∼0.15 to >5.0gm−2 day−1 and displayed strong seasonal compositional changes, with the highest proportion of fresh biogenic matter arriving after the spring bloom in June and July. Flux variability also depended on the changing input of lithogenic matter that had been (re)suspended for a longer time (decades). Active focussing of material from both sources is required to account for the composition and the magnitude of the total flux, which exceed observations elsewhere by an order of magnitude. The enhanced focussing or increased delivery appeared to be positively related to current velocity. The intercepted annual particle flux accounted for only 60% of the sediment accumulation rate of 600±20gm−2 yr−1 (0.20±0.07cmyr−1), indicating higher intra- and inter-annual variability of both the biogenic and lithogenic fluxes and/or advection of additional sediment closer to the seafloor (i.e. <4m). This temporal variability in the composition and amount of material deposited highlights intra-annual changes in the flux of lithogenic material, but also underscores the importance of (reworked) sediment focussing and seasonality of the biogenic flux. All should be taken into account in the interpretation of the paleorecord from such depositional settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a detailed study of glacial/interglacial deep sea benthic ostracod assemblage variability at IODP Site U1314 (subpolar North Atlantic) in relation to the history of ice-rafting events and changes in deep ocean circulation over the past 170 ky. Our records of ostracod diversity, abundance and dissolution and sediment properties (IRD and CaCO3) show an excellent correspondence to high amplitude orbital and millennial variability observed in the climate records (δ13C and δ18O) from neighboring deep water sites, suggesting that the benthic meiofauna fluctuates synchronously with the prevailing oceanographic conditions (surface ocean conditions, deep ocean circulation and water temperature and food flux). Krithe (dominant), Argilloecia and Cytheropteron are the most abundant and diverse genera in association with Rockallia enigmatica. Three ostracod assemblages are recognized. The genera Pennyella, Argilloecia, Pelecocythere, Ambocythere, Pseudobosquetina, Bradleya and Nannocythere are associated with interglacials and interstadials, and possibly reflect increased flux of food to the sediments and more vigorous NADW formation. A transitional assemblage composed of species of Cytheropteron, Xestoleberis and Eucythere is restricted to climatic transitions and indicate moderate environmental conditions and seasonal productivity. A glacial/stadial assemblage is characterized by a temporal predominance of either intermediate-depth and shallow water Arctic/subarctic species (belonging to Cytheropteron, Polycope, Pedicythere, Swainocythere, Cluthia, Heterocyprideis, Elofsonella and Finmarchinella) or abyssal North Atlantic ostracods (Bythocythere, Dutoitella, Bathycythere and Bythocypris). The influx of high latitude taxa can be partially explained by ice-rafting, but may also represent a shift of the location of intermediate and deep water convection to the area south of Iceland. Therefore the combination of species characteristic of different watermasses during glacials may reflect shifts in the influence of high nutrient southern source water (e.g. AABW) vs. low nutrient GNAIW during glacials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Quantitative and qualitative analyses of nannofossil assemblages from ODP Site 999 in the Caribbean Sea were performed to reveal changes in upper seawater structures and implications for climatic changes during the last 300,000 years. Overall, there is an inverse relationship in stratigraphic fluctuations between the absolute abundance (AA) of a lower photic taxon, Florisphaera profunda, and δ18O; this fluctuation pattern is considered to represent climatic changes in the Subtropical Under Water (SUW) in the Caribbean. Cross-spectral analysis demonstrates that the SUW was characterized by nutrient-rich water during interglacials; changes in orbitally driven gyre circulation system strongly affected fluctuations in the SUW in the Caribbean. Conversely, the surface water was enriched in nutrients during glacials as the result of increased terrigenous materials and shallowing of the thermocline based on changes of the N ratio (abundance of reticulofenestrids relative to F. profunda) and results of cross-spectral analysis between them and δ18O. The relationship between the thermocline variation and the ice volume fluctuation suggests that changes in the subtropical gyre circulation system in the North Atlantic have had stronger influences on the Caribbean thermocline variations and there may be a little contribution of climatic fluctuations that originated in the Southern Ocean to the Caribbean Sea.A large floral turnover in nannofossil assemblages between oxygen isotope stages 6 and 5 was observed in Hole 999A, which corresponds to Termination II. On the basis of floral compositions, photosynthetic primary productions had been more active than today before Termination II. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Arctic and sub Arctic seas, shell growth and/or secondary calcite overgrowth of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (left coiled)—Npl—occur along the pycnocline, and their δ13C and δ18O-values are size and weight dependent. However, whereas the Npl 18O data from the NW Atlantic indicate near-equilibrium conditions with ambient waters and a positive relationship between shell weight and 18O-content, assemblages from box-cored sediments of the Chukchi Sea (western Arctic) are depleted by ∼2‰ with respect to equilibrium values with modern conditions, and depict a negative relationship between shell weight and its δ18O-value (−0.15±0.03‰/μg on VPDB scale). A similar feature is also depicted by the dextral form of N. pachyderma (Npd). We associate the reverse shell-size or weight vs. δ18O relationship to the reverse temperature gradient observed along the thermocline between the surface cold and dilute water layer, and the underlying near 3°C-warmer saline North Atlantic water mass. The analysis of two late to post-glacial sedimentary sequences from the Chukchi Sea indicates that such a water mass stratification with a reverse thermocline persisted throughout the Holocene, thus reflecting an early onset of the modern-like linkage between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic. Moreover, lower δ18O-values in both Npl and Npd together with larger δ18O-gradients between the different shell sizes at ca 9–7 ka BP suggest ∼3°C higher temperatures in the upper North Atlantic water mass, in comparison with the present (approximately +1°C, at the study site), thus likely a higher inflow rate of this water mass during the early Holocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]